Bridging the Gap Between Sports and Science: Efficacy Report Release
"I would tell my friends about when we used basketballs for an app to track what you do."
"You use math in football!"
"STEM is awesome!"
These comments were made by the almost 70 students who participated in a six-week afterschool camp at four Northeast Ohio Boys & Girls Clubs, two in Cleveland and two in Akron.
The students were excited about what they learned and when the program ended, a majority said they wanted more.
STEM Playbook successfully transforms potentially intimidating academic concepts into engaging experiences.
Participants learned about physics, machine learning, and math - all through sports. They explored careers they could pursue and at the end of the pilot; an impressive 64 percent of the students said they wanted to learn more about STEM in the future.
The recently released STEM Playbook Program Efficacy Report (March 2025) showcases impressive results from the camps, sharing more insight about student gains in confidence and STEM interest, as well as their love of sports.
Key Findings
The impact data is compelling:
55.6% of participants reported enjoying STEM subjects "a lot"
66.7% felt "very confident" in their problem-solving abilities
64.4% expressed definite interest in future STEM learning
STEM Playbook was particularly effective because of its use of technology, which resonated well with the students. Smart basketballs that measure performance and wearable devices that track various body functions were consistently mentioned as program highlights.
Looking Forward
The camp pilot showed strong results and helped identify areas for growth, including deepening STEM-sports connections and developing additional modules for highly engaged students.
Overall, the STEM Playbook's "Prepare, Progress, Persist" philosophy appears to be working. By creating an environment where students can explore scientific concepts through activities they already enjoy, the program is building both confidence and competence in tomorrow's innovators.
For more information on this promising educational approach, visit www.stemplaybook.org.
